


The Book House

by theotherdoctor (blueharlequin)



Series: Adventures of the Sailing Ship Sam Winchester [4]
Category: Broadchurch, Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, BAMF Sam Winchester, Bisexuality, Crossover Pairings, M/M, Rare Pairings, Sam Winchester Deserves to be Happy, Scholar Sam Winchester, Secret Identity, Sexual Tension, Soulmates, Timeline What Timeline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-06-30 09:06:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19849975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueharlequin/pseuds/theotherdoctor
Summary: Sam starts his new life in a small Dorset town in the UK. To his surprise, a new life also means finding his soulmate.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic (or at least Sam's background) will not make any sense unless you read [The Alexandria Organisation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19455925) first. 
> 
> Set after series two, Hardy doesn't end up leaving Broadchurch. His daughter comes to live with him.
> 
> POV switching. As always, no beta.

Hardy slowly made his way up the cliff side. The moon illuminated the area almost as bright as a foggy day on the beach. He shook his head at the thought, insomnia was making him soppy. As he crested the hill, he realised that he wasn't alone on this particular stretch. He had chosen to walk a little further from the tourist beach, not wanting the awful reminder of a young boy's life cut short. It seemed that fate was not going to be kind to him though, as he saw a figure on the cliff top. A tall young man was staring out over the ocean, his body slightly swaying in time with the sound of the waves. Hardy swore as he realised that this was one of the areas where people went to commit suicide. He started running toward the young man as he saw him get closer and closer to the edge and he tackled him away from it.

"What the bloody hell do ya think you’re doin’?!" he yelled as he scrambled to his feet.

Sam was dazed. He hadn't been caught off guard like that in ages. He must have been further into his head than he thought. "I was just looking over the edge." He muttered as the man continued his tirade.

"... of all the bloody reckless things." Hardy stopped as his brain clicked on something very important. He looked down at the young man who was staring back at him in bewilderment. "What did you say?"

"I said 'I was just looking over the edge'" Alec snorted. Of course, this would happen, he was over forty years old, and this happens.

"Right, well, don't do that again. It's dangerous around here, the ground is unstable." He motioned back towards the trail, "Don't be crossin' the fencing, it's there for a bloody reason" he internally winced at every word as he rambled awkwardly.

The young man regarded him in confusion. "Okay," he said slowly as he picked himself off the ground.

Hardy exhaled in surprise. Up close he realised the young man was _tall,_ taller than he was at a hundred and eighty six centimetres and his hair was something else. Even in the fey moonlight he could tell he was attractive, Hardy's brain tripped up at that thought, he wasn't going to let himself sentimental now. "Where do you live?" he asked abruptly. He was reluctant to leave the young man there and desperate to know more about him at the same time.

Sam raised his eyebrow at the older man. Clearly, he was not the sociable type. "I live at the Book House. My name is Sam by the way."

"Ah," that explained everything and nothing. The man was an American and from the gossip that he heard whenever he spent time with Miller and her family, he had just moved to the area. They hadn't moved, and Hardy realised abruptly that Sam was waiting for him to introduce himself. "DI Alec Hardy, that means,"

Sam cut him off, "Detective Inspector, yes, I am aware." Sam strode away and it took Hardy a moment to realise he was heading in the direction of the aforementioned location.

They walked in silence and it gave the detective sometime to remember what he had heard the Latimer girl telling Miller about the new inhabitant. They thought he was the boyfriend of the lady who had lived there. Miller had pointed out that was incorrect because she had left a few days after he arrived. There was a rumour that the Book House was haunted because it used to be a church that burned down in the Middle Ages. Hardy only knew what the Book House was, because one of the Constables had to arrest a man a few months ago for trying to set it on fire. The place was a privately owned library with an attached cottage for the custodian. The lady must have been the previous one, and now he was sure he was accompanying the new one there.

Sam was wondering when the older man was going to say something. He was almost one hundred percent sure that the detective had said his words, but from the way the man was acting, Sam wasn't so sure he had said his. They arrived at the cottage next to repository and stood in the door way for a few awkward moments. Finally, Sam broke the silence, "Would you like to come in?" The detective nodded and Sam opened the door, leaving him to come in on his own.

Hardy glanced around, puzzled and intrigued. There should have been at least a few moving boxes, but the cottage was devoid of them. He could tell that the furniture had been there previously, though the gaps in some places indicated some were missing. There were no personal pictures or even clothes strewn about that would hint at new bachelor status. He heard the kettle go off and was infinitely surprised when Sam walked out with a full tea service on a tray. He laid it on the table and motioned for Hardy to take a seat on the sofa.

Sam waited until he had poured the man's tea and handed it to him before he asked, "So are we going to talk about it?"

"I wasn't sure, since you didn't say anything, but yes, you said my words." Hardy watched the younger man slump in relief. He figured he was being a right bastard but he was irritated. Sam looked so much younger than him, his daughter was probably closer in age, this couldn't possibly be a good match. "You have to understand. I am not fond of the idea that there is this magical force between two people that makes them perfect for each other. You're a complete stranger and practically a wee bairn compared to me."

Sam snorted, if only he knew. "You can't be that old, I'm 32. I'm not really that wild about Fate dictating how I live my life but I do believe soulmates work more often than not."

Just to be difficult Hardy replied, "I was born in 1973."

Sam snapped back immediately, "Ten years is not a large gap in this day and age. I'm older than the standard trophy wife. Try some other excuse."

"I have a daughter, and I'm divorced. I would be no good at this."

"None of that is a good excuse. People move on afterwards, or are you trying to tell me you're still in love with your ex-wife?"

"No, definitely not in love with her," Hardy said lowly. He wasn't about to elaborate on the adultery; that could wait till he got to know the young man better. Then he realised he was just being difficult, since if he thought that way it was a foregone conclusion that he wanted to get to know him better.

Sam wasn't trying to be pushy, but this was something different. He had joined the Alexandria Organisation to start a new life. It was uncanny how just as that happened he finally met his soulmate. Sam wasn't got to let this opportunity slip away because the man was an obstinate grump. "I understand you want to know more about me, how about a date? It would be the same if we hadn't been soulmates; just two strangers who met and decided they wanted to know more about each other."

“Fine, tomorrow at seven then.” Hardy racked his brain for a moment, then decided he would just ask Ellie where to go. “Meet me at the entrance to the boardwalk.”

Sam rolled his eyes. He could tell that unless he put his foot down, the man would steamroll over him when it came down to making decisions. He could let this one go, since it didn’t really matter where they went. Arguably, he had actually gotten his way and gotten what he wanted, a date.

The detective looked around, “What is it you do here? What is this place? Also, you never told me your full name.”

Sam smirked; he knew that was going to be an issue at some point. The organisation may have cleaned up his records, but some of the stuff on there was still pretty objectionable. As law enforcement, Alec would definitely be wary about his background. Well, he would cross that bridge when he came to it. “Samuel William Winchester, formerly of Lebanon, Kansas in the US.” He was deliberately giving the Alec everything he needed, if the man was any type of detective, he would find out everything he needed to know about Sam sooner or later. “I’m an archival specialist for a private charity called the Alexandria Organisation. The ‘Book House’ as I’ve found the locals like to call it, is one of their collection sites for rare books.”

“Hmm, so you’re a librarian.” Hardy very much doubted it was as simple as that. When he had tackled the young man earlier, he had felt some serious musculature underneath him. Sam also didn’t move like a scholar, he looked at ease but his movements spoke a precision that only came with a certain amount of fighting or training.

Sam laughed, “Pretty much.” The younger man gathered up the empty tea mugs and put them on the tray. He picked it up and moved to the kitchen. Hardy normally ignored social conventions but he knew this was an unspoken way to signify the visit was drawing to a close.

He also rose and moved to the door; Sam joined him a moment later. The night air had turned chilly and he hesitated a moment before stepping into dark. “Tomorrow, at seven.” It came out more like a command than a statement.

Sam smiled, his eyes crinkling in unspoken mirth, “Yes, at the boardwalk,” he confirmed. Hardy turned and walked off. He resisted the urge to turn and see if Sam watched him go. He shook his head as he made his way down to the beach. One meeting with his soulmate and he was already getting sentimental.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CPS = Crown Prosecution Service

Hardy had spent the rest of the night thinking about soulmates and what this could potentially mean for him. The idealist in him had concluded that there was nothing ultimately wrong with a soulbond. It was something he had been waiting for all his life. He had deeply loved Tess, even though she was a Blank. He had been crushed at her betrayal, but a small part of him deep in the recess of his mind wondered if it had turned out the way it did because she was not The One. Or maybe that it had happened because she knew he would ultimately leave her if his soulmate came along. Every nation in the world recognised no-fault divorces or annulments in the case soulmate pairings. He would never regret his marriage to Tess, only because it had given him his daughter. Daisy had come to visit him after the trial and decided to stay. She had cited that her mum’s boyfriend just made her too uncomfortable, and that led to another issue. The pragmatist in him argued about how he would break this to his daughter, the age difference, the complete lack of information he had about his soulmate, and how a soulmate would fit into his life. The majority of pairings were happy, but some ended rather horribly if the pair didn’t work at it like any other commitment. In the end, he concluded that there was no use dithering about it. He had met the young man, and he was intriguing enough that Hardy was willing to give it a go.

By the time Hardy made this decision, the sun had already come up over the water and he needed to leave for work. Consequently, it meant that he hadn’t gotten much sleep. The detective inspector had been a downright bastard all morning and by lunchtime, he was still at his desk slogging through endless paperwork. Ellie walked in the door and settled herself on the chair. “What’s got your knickers in a twist?”

“I don’t know where to go on a date with my soulmate after work,” he mumbled.

Ellie’s mouth dropped open, “What!?” She screeched. She leaned over and swung the door shut. “Why are you dating? You should be at home, snogging each other senseless! What the hell, Hardy? Where did you meet? When did you meet?! Because I know I dropped you off at your house last night. Do I know her?”

“Miller! I’m not going to be able to answer any of that if you keep wittering on,” he snapped. “I don’t believe in that nonsense about love at first sight among soulmates. We talked and agreed that getting to know each other would work out better.” Against his better judgement, and only because Ellie would be a nosy parker until he got cross with her, he continued. “I went for a walk last night and came across him near the beach. He’s the new custodian up at the Book House.”

“Him? I haven’t seen him yet. Chloe Latimer told me that they saw him at the market yesterday.” She smirked. “Your daughter thinks he’s cute.” Hardy frowned, that was something he did not want to think about. His daughter being attracted to his soulmate was just strange. Ellie must have seen the face he made. “Is there a big age difference?”

“Ten years.”

“Well, that’s not terrible. He’s probably got an old soul and the patience of a saint to have to put up with you.” She snorted as Hardy scoffed at her. Ellie decided to give him a break. “Take him to Carlo’s on the boardwalk. It’s laid back so you can take your time, all the tables are private, and the food is not bad.” She stood and moved towards the door.

“Thanks, Miller.” She whipped her head around and looked at him incredulously, but the detective was steadfastly ignoring her by looking down at his paperwork. 

* * *

Hardy went home to change and by the time he had finished freshening up, he had only half an hour before he needed to be back down near the beach. His phone went off and he started cursing. He looked at it and hoped that he could stop at the station and still make it to the boardwalk on time. He arrived at the station in a right mood, entering the bullpen, he growled, “What happened?”

Ellie came around her desk to meet him. “They just arrested three men trying to pull a couple of girls in a van down near the beach.” She paused for a moment, “Hardy, the two girls were Chloe and your daughter.”

All thoughts of his date left his mind, he glanced toward his office. The two girls were huddled together on the couch inside. He opened the door, “Dad!” his daughter jumped up and flung herself into his arms.

He wrapped his arms around her, “You alright? Not hurt?” He peeked over at the Latimer girl and asked the same questions with his eyes. They both murmured their affirmative. He reluctantly let go of his daughter and looked her in the face. “Daisy, girl, I have to take care of this, you stay with Chloe. Once her mum shows up, Miller will have to interview both of you. Okay?”

“Okay, dad. You be careful, and tell the guy who helped us that he is awesome.”

Hardy closed the door as he left the office. Ellie joined him as they walked toward interrogation. “Who was she talking about?”

“I haven’t got to him yet; he’s sitting in the first interrogation room.” They stopped in the hall and Ellie steered him toward the tech room. “You’ll want to watch this before you see any of them. Either the men were idiots or overconfident because there were cameras all down the boardwalk. We don’t have the town footage yet but the shop they were in front of had a private surveillance system too. The shopkeeper gave us the tape since he also witnessed the whole thing.”

The tech was already watching the video when they entered. Hardy made an irritated noise when he saw the video feed. “Miller, you are going to have to handle this.”

“Why?” she looked at him suspiciously.

The detective pointed to the tall young man on the screen. “That’s my soulmate.”

Ellie stared at him. “Well, okay.” She looked at the video. “Won’t you look at that?”

Hardy motioned and the tech rewound the tape. The three of them watched as three men lounged around a bench in front of the camera. Daisy and Chloe walked into the frame and one of the men slid in front of them and blocked their way. A minute or so went by as the guy talked to the two girls motioning to a van parked behind them. Both girls kept shaking their heads and trying to get around the guy, but by that time the other two men had boxed them in. The next thing they see is the leader looking off camera. He grabbed Daisy and started pulling her toward the van. The other two men stood in front of him as Sam came into frame. Hardy heard Ellie gasp as they watched Sam take down the three men in less than two minutes.

The first attacker lunged at him with a knife and Sam blocked it with his bare hands. He punched the man and the thug went down. The second man tried to come at Sam from behind, but he whirled around and swept the man off his feet. The second thug hit the ground hard, and Sam kneeled and punched him in the face, knocking him out too. The last man was still dragging Daisy toward the van while Chloe screamed for help. When Sam approached, he pulled her into a headlock. Sam raised his hands and they could see him speaking to the man. The last thug's eyes flicked toward the road and Hardy knew he had just heard the approaching sirens. The man let go of his daughter and shoved her to the side. She stumbled into Chloe’s arms and both of the girls backed away off camera. Instead of doing the smart thing and fleeing toward the vehicle the kidnapper drew a large knife and attacked Sam. “Idiot,” the detective muttered. Hardy held his breath for a moment as he saw the man seemed to be a lot larger and aggressive than his accomplices. Sam looked almost unconcerned; he dropped his hands down and stood at the ready. Once the man entered his space, Sam moved so fast that Hardy had a difficult time seeing exactly what occurred. One moment the man was inches from stabbing Sam, the next he was crumpled on the ground. Sam kicked the knife away and stepped back. He raised his hands again in the surrender position and Hardy saw the constables enter the frame.

Hardy turned to Ellie, "Miller take his statement. I will be there to observe. I want to talk to him after you have finished."

"You don't think it was a little excessive?" He could tell Ellie was trying to make sure there were no loopholes.

"I know I'm too close to it, but I think he didn't use enough force. They were trying to kidnap two teenage girls. The footage on the township's cameras will back this up." He motioned to the door and they both walked down the hall.

Hardy walked into the interrogation room with Ellie. Sam was sitting patiently at the table, looking at the two of them with quietly inquisitive eyes. His gaze slid over Alec catching his eye briefly. The detective felt it then, the dull ache of wanting. He had read about it, couples who wait. Couples who want to bond but their heads get in the way of their hearts; the soulbond ached to be satisfied. All he could do at this point was wait until Miller was done. He stared at Sam the entire time, but the young man showed an excess of fortitude and ignored him as he recounted in excruciating detail every part of the incident. Hardy's mind raced, there were millions of possibilities for Sam's skills and knowledge of law enforcement. Some of his imaginings were completely logical, others were dark and unpleasant. Before he knew the time passed, Miller spoke to him. Nothing registered but he grunted in reply. It must have been what she was looking for since she simply nodded and left the room. He moved to the chair she vacated.

Sam finally looked at him. Alec sighed, "We're not arresting you. It's a pretty clear case and it was all caught on camera. Though the CPS might contact you." The Latimer case had obliterated what little faith he had left in the justice system. Even with the mistakes made, it still burned that Joe had gone free and that Ellie couldn't even get a divorce from the man for another five years. He ran his hands through his hair and looked off into space. "Ima not goin' ta like the background check am I?" he muttered, his accent coming out in his distress.

Sam exhaled heavily. "No. It's not pretty. Most of it is explainable but not nice. I've been doing some pretty questionable things since I was twelve." Hardy grimaced. He took a deep breath and looked for the optimist buried inside of him; the one that had been buried after his first horrible case on the force. As much as he wanted to deny it, even science had proven that one's soulmate couldn't be their diametric opposite. At their core, soulmates held the same beliefs and passions, it was essential to a bond. Hardy wondered what it said about him. He mentally shook himself; he was jumping to conclusions without any evidence.

Sam looked at him nervously, "So I guess this does not bode well for our date tonight."

The detective grinned ruefully. "How about a drink then? After this?" The young man smiled tremulously and he wondered at Sam’s demeanour. Either the young man was ignorant of his feelings, something Hardy doubted very much, or this was just another show of his remarkable restraint. Alec decided to forgo his usual attitude; lack of communication in his previous relationship had pretty much doomed it to heartache. “Do you want to bond? It is something you want, right? I can feel it pulling on me but I don’t know how it feels for you.”

Sam’s head jerked up. “Yes! Of course. It’s just that you seemed so against it yesterday. I just don’t want biology to push us into something.”

Alec levelled his eyes at him, “I slept on it.”

Sam groaned, “You are kind of an asshole.” Sam knew the drink was an excuse. They were going to have a serious talk about mixed signals. It annoyed him how much the hollow ache in his chest was distracting him. His heart rattled about like a panicked bird in a cage. He could tell Alec was feeling it too. They could bond without sex. Most couples did not do it that way, but Sam felt it was imperative for both of them to get this right. Everything inside him shouted that they had so much history to work through. It's not as if he had gone to this location blind. He had skimmed over the local news and history. He knew about Hardy’s work on the Sanbrook case, the Latimer boy’s death, and the subsequent trial. Currently, he probably knew far more about his soulmate than the detective would soon to find out about him from a bunch of police reports.

Miller knocked on the door just then. Slowly opening it she peeked inside. “Just a little more paperwork then off you go,” she announced a little too cheerfully.

Hardy glared at her but she just smiled smugly back at him. _“Christ,”_ he thought. _“I’m never going to hear the end of it tomorrow if I leave here with him.”_


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the tale of stubborn idiots continues

The hour was late once they were able to leave the station. Hardy did not even bother to pretend they were going anywhere but his house. Daisy had elected to stay with the Latimer girl and Hardy realised that was for the best. Miller had most likely conveyed the situation to Beth if the woman's surprised look at him had been any indication. Once they were inside, Hardy pulled out two glasses and a bottle of whisky. Splashing some inside, he slid it over to Sam. The younger man eyed it dubiously for a moment before slamming it back. Hardy was a bit slower, staring at the liquid in his glass before sipping it down. They regarded each other silently for a span of minutes before the older man took the initiative. "How do you want to do this? Sitting or lying down?"

Sam grinned, "Sitting. I don't think I'm going to be able to stop myself if we were to lie on the bed together."

Hardy acknowledged internally that he probably wouldn't be able to either. He motioned to the sofa and they moved as one toward it. Sam stopped abruptly once he was standing by it. He turned to Alec realising they had never done even the basics of checking each other's mark. "Where is your mark?" The same thought must have occurred to Hardy as Sam asked, and he unconsciously placed his hand over it. The younger man blushed. He gestured to the sofa, "You need to be sitting then."

"And yours?" Hardy needed to know exactly how much clothing they were going to have to lose for this to work.

"Inside of my thigh, you're going to have to take your pants off," he paused as Alec's eyebrows when sky-high, "uh, right, not that, your trousers." He eyed the couch, then the spot where Alec had touched his soulmark. "Um, I think we will have to do this on the bed after all. I don't think there is enough room for me to get my legs that far around you."

They both flushed deep red at that and Hardy swiftly turned and led the way to his bedroom. Once inside he muttered, "Right, let's get on with this." He shucked off his shoes, then his trousers and his dress shirt leaving on his undershirt. He turned just in time to see Sam looking at him slack-jawed and a bit dazed. The young man startled and peeled off his flannel, he hesitated and left his t-shirt on. He sat on the bed and unlaced his boots.

"Do ya always wear so much?" Alec inquired curiously.

"It's safer," Sam remarked not wanting to elaborate. He wasn't about to share with the detective right now that this was going to be the most amount of affectionate touching he had done in years. Alec frowned for a moment in thought, then sat next to him on the bed. Sam finished pulling off his socks and jeans and scooted backwards toward the middle. Hardy joined him a moment later, halfway reclining but with plenty of space for Sam to face him.

"This about right?" he said as he motioned to the younger man.

Sam nodded and leaned to the side, "Can I?" He nodded to the waistband of Alec's underwear where he could see a hint of his handwriting peeking out.

"Yeah," the other man said breathily. Sam carefully tugged the garment down just enough to expose his words. He ignored the tent in the middle; they were both already heavily aroused even though they were barely touching. Once Sam was done looking, Hardy beckoned him up so he could see his. The older man looked up at him as his hand hovered over the hem of Sam's boxers, "Okay?" Sam nodded jerkily, his breath hitched as Alec's hand slowly pushed the fabric up the inside of this thigh. They both made a noise once the mark was revealed. Sam because Alec's fingers brushed lightly over it, Hardy because seeing his writing on the younger man's skin caused something inside of him to blossom viciously. His hands slid up further to clasp Sam's hips and help him straddle him. They both stared at each other intensely as Sam shifted over him. Twin gasps rang out as their marks aligned.

Alec for his part was barely keeping the urge to snog Sam senseless at bay. The place where their Soul Marks met burned in the best way. The younger man settled gingerly in his lap and Alec resisted the urge to thrust his hips up. Despite himself, they rolled a bit which caused Sam to inhale sharply. "This is getting a bit too intense too fast," he muttered. Sam bobbed his head in agreement but neither of them made a move to disengage. Sam admired his soul mate's restraint. It was taking everything in his power not to just grind his ass down onto the other man.

Hardy sat up and put his arms around Sam. Their foreheads brushed and they sat like that for a moment just breathing heavily in each other space. Sam tried to concentrate on the feelings inside him rather than the feeling of the body around him. It wasn't so much as the awareness of a person as it was the feeling of finding something that you didn't know you had lost or filling an emptiness that you didn't know was there. The awareness didn't snap into place like a rubber band. It filled him up slowly, like warm bath water added to a tub grown cold or heat in a sauna, the warmth spread through their joined bodies knitting them together.

Alec took a deep breath, his lungs filling with the scent of his soulmate. He moved his hands up and cradled Sam's head. "I'd really like to kiss you right now, but I think that would start something that we would have to finish."

Sam shuddered. Oh he wanted that, wanted to push his soulmate down and devour his mouth while he ground them both to completion. Instead, he leaned back, mumbling, "Okay" over and over to ground himself. Alec gently wrestled him down beside him on the bed and squeezed his hand in reassurance. They lay on the bed panting in time, steadfastly ignoring their arousal. After their breathing had calmed down, Sam however, had to ask, "I'm a little fuzzy about why we agreed to no sex for this."

Alec was beginning to wonder that too, but he did not say it out loud. "We are adults who have the free will to make our own choices? We don't want to start our soulmateship based on sex? I'm only going off conjecture here but, I'm a police officer and I have a feeling there are some issues we might have to address in regards to that?" Thinking unsexy logical thoughts about the future was cooling his ardour considerably.

Sam was able to say with a clear conscience, "I'm not wanted for anything if makes you feel any better." He was understandably not bothered by his soulmate's need for discretion, the detective didn't know about the supernatural, so of course he had normal concerns. Sam was sort of amazed at what the organisation's legal team had been able to do. Most of the minor charges had been dropped. For some of the bigger things, they were able to plea down and had somehow literally used all the times he had landed in jail as time served. Most of the other things had come down to fines, lots and lots of fines. When Sam had been hammering out his contract he had asked about repayment. His benefits councillor had told him they were part of his package and paying fines was far easier than creating a new identity for him.

"That right?" Alec muttered at him. "Am I ruining this by being over cautious?" The last thing Hardy wanted to do was get into a right mess again because of being too intense about something. The older man was beginning to feel sleepy. The exertion of the day, the warm bed, and the satisfied hum of a completed bond was causing his eyes to droop.

Sam yawned, "It's okay. I think some amount of caution is healthy." He wondered if he was feeling content and worry-free because of the bond. He certainly didn't notice the moment he dropped off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Sam woke up with the awareness that he was not in his own space. He could hear Alec puttering around in the kitchen. After tossing on his clothes, he staggered towards the sounds of tea being made. He stopped in the middle of the front room when he realised they were not alone.

"None of that now." He heard Alec gripe.

"What? I wasn't saying anything."

"That grin Miller."

"I'm just surprised with all of that business you were on about yesterday that he still ended up in your bed."

"I will not have you speculating about my sex life; and no, we just bonded."

"You are a bloody wanker," she grumbled. "I don't understand why you wouldn't want to, he seems wonderful."

"Mind your business, Miller."

Sam walked into the kitchen to see Alec pointing a spoon at his partner. For her part, she didn't look cowed in the least. Ellie gave him a wide smile as soon as she saw him. He grinned back as he watched her steal a slice of toast off his soulmate's plate. This was nice, they bickered like two siblings, but the tone didn't have that edge of meanness that he was so used to.

He sat down at the table and tried to suppress a yawn. A cup of tea was placed in front of him and he looked up in time to see the surprise on Ellie's face. "Thanks," he muttered at his soulmate, slightly puzzled over her reaction. His confusion only grew as her expression became the epitome of the cat that got the canary.

"Alright then, have you been shown around town yet?" She asked cheerfully. Sam shook his head; he hadn't had the time to explore yet. He felt a little lost, he had no friends here, hopefully, he could find some way to integrate into with the local community. Ellie must have had some divine mom sense as if she knew what he was thinking. "Well then, since Alec has to stay out of the current investigation, I think he should take the morning off."

Hardy grumbled, "Miller..."

She grinned cheekily "Remember we're progressive in law enforcement, time off required for soul bonds." The detective huffed at her, disgruntled but slightly impressed she had managed to trick him into some time off.

Sam smiled, "It's okay Mrs Miller."

"Ellie, please."

"Ellie, it's fine. I have to start work around noon today."

Sam knew that Alec wanted to go in to see if there was any progress on his background check. He was sure as hell not going to tell his soulmate just yet, that right after the man had left that first night they had met, he had phoned the Alexandria Organisation and told them his soulmate was a detective with the Wessex police. He was one hundred per cent sure that the next day flags went up the moment his file was requested. The London branch coordinator had written him a congratulatory note and reassured him that a background check would not reveal his location to anyone who might be searching for him. His attention swung back to the present as he realised Ellie was speaking.

“Well, you will have to take it sooner or later,” she acknowledged, only temporarily appeased. Sam could tell by the look on Alec’s face that it would not be the end of that. “Need a ride then?”

Hardy nipped that bit of foolishness in the bud. “Miller, I’ll meet you at the station later. I have to pick up Daisy at the Latimer girl’s house.”

Ellie winked at Sam as she got up to leave, “Right then, I suppose you’ll be heading out with him since it’s on the way to the Book House?”

Sam swore he heard Alec mutter, _“cheeky”_ under his breath. He successfully smothered a laugh but his brain caught up with her meaning a moment after that. He looked at Alec searchingly as he got up and opened the door for the other detective. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to meet Alec’s daughter, especially after everything yesterday. Ellie looked back and forth between the two of them and most likely decided discretion was the better part of valour. "Ta, then," she tossed over her shoulder as she hurried out the door.

"Alec I don't know if I'm ready for that," he said as soon as she left.

"I'm not sure I'm ready for that either," Alec rubbed his eyes. After a moment he realised that Sam had just called him by his first name but it hadn't even registered for him to object. _"Well that is something,"_ he thought. Aloud, he inquired, "See you after work then?"

"Sure," Sam fidgeted; he leaned forward and paused, "this okay?" Alec took the decision out of his hands, closed the distance, and kissed him chastely on the lips. They drew back a slightly, a little startled. Sam smiled happily and dazedly walked out the door.

Hardy drew in a breath once he left and braced himself for breaking the news to his daughter.

* * *

Once he arrived at the station, Hardy was surprised at the speed in which the file has been completed. And it had come from the FBI via Interpol of all places, before making it to Scotland Yard. He suspected some outside influence considering that the request wasn’t high priority. Reading through it was absolutely horrifying, and he wondered at the level of detail until he realised an agent named Hendrickson in the FBI had, at one point, compiled a detailed profile that ended in 2008. There were some other notes from 2011 by another agent, but those also ended abruptly.

Hardy thought that it was something of a curiosity that there were not a lot of convictions. The first part of the file was mostly composed of petty crimes. There were so many arrests, in almost all of them, the charges had been dropped. The only reason they were in the file was they were still a matter of public record. Most of the appalling parts of the file were linked to Dean, Sam's brother. The two that stood out, were the entries on the FBI's most wanted list. All the charges against Sam had been dropped by an Agent Hendrickson, who then died in an explosion that had also supposedly killed Sam as well. The second disturbing entry was a murder spree that also had Sam legally declared dead. The agency concluded that a couple of copy cats, who had been surgically altered to resemble the brothers, for what reason was unknown, had been the perpetrators. Everything pointed to some sort of weird family dynamic that had Hardy thinking paramilitary or some sort of cult.

He looked at the clock in irritation. It was the end of his day, but there would still be another four hours until Sam was available. He hadn’t even addressed this yet and he was already at the limit of his considerably scarce tolerance. At least Daisy had taken the news well; he was uncomfortably surprised at how well, considering she had said, _“Bully for you dad, he’s definitely a biscuit.”_ Which had stunned him into silence, wondering if she was being sarcastic or not. To make things even more awkward, she had told him she was going to stay with Chloe for a little while longer, _“to give him some privacy.”_ Beth Latimer had even told him as they went out the door, that it was perfectly fine if Daisy stayed with them for the rest of the week. He had spent the walk to the station highly aggrieved that everyone, including his daughter, was so concerned about his sex life.

Not in the mood to go home, Hardy stayed at the station catching up with the endless paperwork the job generated. At a quarter till eight he gathered up his things and made his way to the Book House along the cliff trail. Even though there were no windows in the main building, Hardy could see all the lights were on, a warm glow spilt out from the cottage next to it. He knocked on the door and after a bit a shuffling from inside, Sam opened it. The detective noticed Sam scanned the darkness for a moment before closing the door behind him.

"Something wrong?" He asked.

"Old habits die hard," Sam replied. The younger man seemed uneasy, but Hardy filed it away for later contemplation. There was already too much on his plate at the moment for him to worry about his soulmate's eccentricities. "Something to drink?" Sam asked. Hardy shook his head so Sam gestured for him to follow. He paused a moment at another door. The detective looked through to see shelves upon shelves of books in protective casing. Sam swung the door closed and Hardy noted that it was steel reinforced and had a seal around the edges. Once it shut, a keypad next to it beeped and Sam punched in a code. He muttered aloud, "I'll have to get approval to get you the release code for that, just in case I'm locked in there for some reason." Alec wanted to ask Sam so many questions about his job, but he knew it would have to wait until they addressed the folder in his hands.

Sam led him into a study further inside the cottage. He motioned towards the chair in front of it then went around the other side to sit. Sam realised he was putting a barrier in between them, but he needed something in the way to feel some level of protection if the conversation they were about to have didn't go pleasantly.

Alec decided to get right to the thick of it; he tossed the file in the desk between then. "From a law enforcement standpoint, you know how that had to look to me." Sam sighed he had hoped that Alec wouldn't take it too badly. The organization had emailed him the copy that Interpol had given the UK police the moment it had landed in their hands, so he knew exactly what his soulmate had seen. Nevertheless, he pulled the file toward him and flipped it open. The older man looked at him grimly, "It looks like you tried to get out several times. How did you break free this time?"

Sam let the detective's conjecture stand, but he carefully worded his reply, "I was in a situation this last time, where I lost my agency completely, and I was forced to do some things that I regret even now. When I got it back, I realised, unless I cut all ties, it would happen again." Sam cringed internally, he was trying to be as vague as he could, but it still came out sounding as if he was a rape victim.

Alec looked at him, noting that Sam was entirely expecting rejection, pity, or blame. He was a little angry about that, but the young man did not know him well enough yet to understand why. Maybe that is what had happened to him in the past, but it wasn't what Alec was going to subject him to here, in the future, or ever if he could help it. "You are a survivor. I can respect that. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt, not because I'm your soul mate, but because you were brave enough to make a new life for yourself away from whatever this was." Hardy waved toward the file between them. He wanted to burn it now, pretend he never looked at it. But what was done was done, and it seemed like Sam understood what he was trying to convey. However, he panicked just a little bit inside when it looked like Sam was about to cry.

Sam must have seen the expression he made because the young man waved his hands in front of him trying to convey it was all right. “Sorry, sorry, I’ve just never had anyone unconditionally accept my choices.”

That broke Alec's heart a little. Here they were, two virtual strangers with messy pasts trying to make something new. He reached across the desk and pulled Sam up. He tugged gently at him until the younger man came around to his side. "Hey, I'm not good at this soppy stuff," he grumbled as Sam barked out a laugh in response to that, "but I am willing to try." He cradled Sam's face in his hands, "How about we start from the beginning?" He gazed into Sam's eyes, hoping this would work. Sam nodded, his heart flip flopping around in happiness.

Alec stepped back and held out his hand, "DI Alec Hardy, worst cop in Britain."

Sam laughed and took his hand, "Sam Winchester, glorified librarian. Nice to meet you soulmate."

Alec took the opportunity to pull Sam close to him. The younger man looked down at his lips and that was all the invitation he needed. The kiss started chastely, a copy of the one from their parting this morning, but slowly grew heated the longer it stretched on. Alec's tongue slipped between Sam's lips and licked inside. The younger man groaned and pressed their bodies together. They wrapped their arms around each other and tried to get even closer. They pulled back slightly once the need for air arose. Alec asked, "Are you ready for this?"

Sam took a deep breath to momentarily calm down, "Yeah, yeah, I am." Sam was treated to a rare smile. The detective stepped back to let Sam lead the way.

Now that they had gotten this past them, he felt as though something had settled inside of him. Sam could feel the happiness and anticipation resonating through their bond for the first time. And for the first time since they met, Sam felt that everything would be okay.


End file.
